Dear Mississippi Teachers,
I feel your apprehension about those upcoming Valentine’s Day class parties. Other than Halloween or the day before Christmas break, this Friday, February 13, has the potential to be the craziest day of the school year in so many ways.
First of all, I know you are dreading the inevitable class-wide sugar high that will come from all those shared Valentine’s Day goodies – even in the gluten-free, dye-free, peanut-free, dairy-free, taste-free (Oops, I did not mean to say that.) classrooms across the state.
I also bet you have been strategically planning for weeks exactly how to make things run as smoothly as possible. I also realize the anticipatory excitement level among your students has been mounting exponentially since Monday morning.
Most of all, I know you are already praying that every child in your classroom will feel loved and included, and that no one will feel left out or unseen. For the truth is, a Valentine’s Day party is only a true class celebration when each child feels loved and included.
But keep in mind that Valentine’s Day has always been an emotionally draining event for teachers and their students.
Fifty years ago, I distinctly remember my school parties that took place in mid-February. We worked for weeks making our own handmade valentines. The cutting, coloring, and pasting was serious business for us. Remember, there was no such thing as Wal-Mart Supercenter or Amazon online shopping.
To be honest, I doubt the little boys of my era were quite as concerned with their holiday card construction efforts as my friends and me. We girls took it seriously, and it often resulted in a whole lot of shed tears when our paper crafts did not turn out as we hoped – or as pretty as another girl’s creations.
But that was just the beginning of the emotional stress!
We had to make our own Valentine’s Day box, as well, a place for our classmates to deposit their handmade cards for us. It was like a fancy personally decorated mailbox for our desk. And I do mean decorated. Those boxes were dolled up like nobody’s business. The more elaborate and gaudy – the better.
But then came the time when our textbooks, paper, and pencils were cleaned off our desks, and the party officially began. Our teacher started putting out all the cookies and candies and drinks on our reading table, while we anxiously gathered our holiday crafts.
The moment of truth arrived!
We set our beautiful, gaudy Valentine’s Day boxes on top of our desks and began walking (silently, hopefully, almost prayerfully) from desk to desk, passing out the cards we had made for our friends. We held our breath.
Would they appreciate our hard work and creativity? Or would they ignore our valentines and shove them toward the bottom of their box? Would we hear petty laughter or appreciative oohs and aahs? It was gut-wrenching!
And then came the most terrifying moment of all, the moment we arrived back at our own desk to discover how many valentine cards we had received – if any. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster!
Of course, I exaggerate … a little. But the truth is, the giving and receiving of love is and always has been a precarious experience.
So, take heart (see that pun), my teacher friends!
Your students will probably have the best Valetine’s Day party ever. But if not, I know you will use every moment, good and bad, to teach them how expensive and extravagant love really is – because I know that you love each of them with your whole heart.
Happy Valentine’s Day to each of our Mississippi educators. We love you!
